Latching means for gondola car drop ends



J. S. SWANN LATCHING MEANS FOR GONDOLA CAR DROP ENDS March 17, 1953 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Jul y 16, 1949 IN V EN TOR. Jam 5 540622224 BY INVEN TOR. Jam 5 5200mm BY J. 5. SWANN LATCHING MEANS FOR GONDOLA CAR DROP ENDS March 17, 1953 Filed July 16, 1949 Patented Mar. 17, 1953 LATCHING MEANS FOR GONDOLA CAR DROP ENDS- James S. Swann, Homewood, 111., assignor to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Dela- Wail-'8 Application July is, 1949, Serial No. 105,255

This invention relates to an improved latching means for the drop ends of gondola cars.

Some gondola cars are provided with ends which are pivoted at their lower outer corners to the corner structure of the car so that said ends may be lowered inside upon the floor of the car whereby extra long lading may be loaded upon two of such cars in end to end relation as is sometimes don'. Extra long telephone poles, pipeand the like are sometimes shipped in this manner.

Through the rough usage these drop ends are subjected to they frequently become distorted to the extent that it is very difiicult, if not impossible, with the conventional locking means to lock said ends in vertical position. It is, therefore, thefprincipal object of my invention to pro- .Vide. a latching means for such ends having adjustable means associated therewith whereby even a distorted end may be locked in its vertical position. 2

It is a'further object of the invention to mount the movable latching bar under the top chord of the drop end and to confine the whole movable part of the locking mechanism within the overall widthfof said top chord.

Other] objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description thereof.

' 'fReferlin'g 'now to the accompanying drawing,

forming-part of this application, and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts.

Fig. 1 '1is.- a top plan view of fragmental parts. of a gondola car side walland drop end showing the impmvedlatching means applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

I Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3'showing the addition of a locking am to insure the latching bar and operating lever remaining in locked position. a Y

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the parts of the latching mechanism as they would appear in 1 locked position.

In the drawings, It represents the end portion of the side plate of a railway gondola car, said ly right angles thereto forming an inwardly facing flange IS. The end frame is formed of a Z- section comprising a flange I6 restingflatwise against side sheathing II, a web portion overlapping and resting flatwise against flange l5, and

an outturned flange. 8.

.Alplate 2o issecured a flange u .of'the side 5 pass by a'pair of rivets 2 I, said rivets extending some (01. -406) through plate 2|], flange side sheathing I4 and flange l6, holding all of said parts together in fixed relation. Betweenrivets 2| said plate 20 is provided with a series of rack teeth 22 which extend vertically and transversely across said plate 20. An adjustment bracket is shown at 23, having disposed across one face thereof a series of rack teeth 24 meshing with rack teeth 22 of plate 20. A hole 25 is provided through flange l6, side sheathing l4, flange II and plate 20, and a laterally elongated hole 26 is provided through the adjustment bracket. A bolt 21 extends through holes 25 and 26 which holds bracket 23 firmly against plate 20 with the cooperative rack teeth engaged. The upper inner corner of the bracket 23 is chamfered or cut-away providing the inclined surface 28. Bracket 23 is, therefore, adjustable inwardly and outwardly in respect to the car by simply loosening bolt 21 until rack teeth may be separated, the bracket moved to the desired location and the bolt again tightened.

The drop end is formed of a corrugated plate 30 having a top flange 3| inwardly turned, upon which is riveted the Web 32 of the top chord, the bulb of which is shown at 33 and the flange at 34. At the bottom corners the end is hingedinot shown) in any acceptable manner asis common to the vertical portion of the adjacent end frame, so that the end may swing inwardly and downwardly against, the floor of thecar. When in upright position the vertical sides of the-plate 30 are provided with side flanges 35. Slightly below the horizontal plane of the bottom of the bulb 33 of the end top chord, a pair of aligned holes 36-31 is formed respectively in the plate 30 and flange'34 of the end top chord inwardly of the sides of the car. These holes are to pivotally receive the end portions 38 of a pin extending through the cylindrical end 39 of the locking bar 40, which bar 40 extends outwardly beyond the end of-the drop end top chord so as tooccur in locking position between the outer end of bracket 23 and flange l5 of side sheathing. (See Fig. 1.) In this position a stop lug 4| extends upwardly from cylindrical portion 39 and contacts under surface '01: flange 3| and thereby limits the counter-clockwise movement of locking bar 4|]. The clockwise movement of said bar 40 is limited by contact with outer edge of flange 3|, as clearly shown in the upper dotted line showing of bar 40 in Figs. 3 and 4. It will be noted that in this upper portion, the outer end of bar 40 is above adjustment bracket 23 and consequently the end may be dropped inwardly. Cylindrical portion 39 is in length substantially equal to the distance between end plate 30 and flange 34 (Fig. 2) and the por- 3 tion 38 which extends through the end plate 30 is provided with a squared end upon which is mounted a depending handle 42, occurring outside of the car end for convenient access by a trainman.

In operation, :when it is desired to lower the end, a trainman would grasp handle 42 and rotate same clockwise until locking bar 40 was raised above adjustment bracket 23, at which time the end could be pushed inwar'dly iand downwardly until resting on the car floor. L The advantage of the adjustabilityof the adjustment bracket is that in case theeari-end .or side should become bent to the extentithe locking bar 49 could not be lowered behind the adjustment bracket 23, the bracket 23 may be moved in the direction required until said bar 40*wo1ild-drop in place and bracket 23 then secured irrthat-posi tion and the car thereby kept in service. It will .also .'-be -noted .that the locking .bar and handle aremaintainedwithin the bounding planes of the idrop tend .bulb angle so that when the end is lloweredipoles orrails passing 'thereover will rest ,uponfbulb 33 of lthe'bulb angle and not contact handle 42.

t In .cases whereit may be desired totp'ositively preventany jumping of the locking bar Ml, due 'to rough. track or 'the like, sufiiciently for the .drop end to accidentally .lower,,II have shown in "Fig. 4. alocking cam 651pivote'd, as 'at48,'to the drop end "adj a'cent' thejhandl'e 4 2 so that" when the handle 42 is in substantially vertical position the :fodt 46 of cam Q'S'ma'y drop behind said handle ill-2 andpositively h'old said handle against'clock" wise movementK'Cam 45 wouldjof course, have Ito be moved 'out .of,.the way, as shown in dotted '1ines,. Fig. 4, before the handle'42could be moved to operatethe device.

'Asbe'fore described, the upper inner corner of the adjustment'brack'et 23is chamfered or cut away, as at 28, providing an inclined surface,

, as s'hownm'ost clearly in "Fig. 5. This surface edge ..0f.said door-being attached to the web of said angle adjacent the bulb, the flange of said ..angle.depending ina space'drparallel plane with the .uppermargin of said door, an adjustment bracket attachable to a car side and adjustable inrelationlto said car' side, alatching barpivoted i .atoneend to saidend between said margin and fflange .and swingable .in a plane parallel to said end soasto engage vtheouter end of said bracket when-said end is .inclo'sed position. I

.2. .In .a railway .car having .a .drop end door eprovided withla .bulbangle top chord, the top .edgeofsaid door .beingattached .to the web of said-angle adjacent the'bulb, the flange of said angle dependingin a spaoedparallel plane with the upper ,portion oftsaid door, an adjustment :bracket attachable to a car side and adjustable inlrelation to said vcarside,.a latching bar pivoted .attonelendtosai'd end between saidmargin' and flange andswingable in a plane parallel to said end and designed to engage the outer end of said-bracket when said endis in closed position,

astoplug projecting from saidpivoted end and :engageable with .the web of..saidv angle chord to =limit the imovement of: said'llatching bar. inone direction.

3. In a-railway car having .a drop end door *bracket attachable to a car side sand adjustable 'in relationto said car side, 'a latching bar pivoted at one end to one side of said end between said margin and flange and swingable in a plane parallel 'to' r'said .end and designed to engage the :outer end of said bracket when said end is in lclosed position, the pivot of said latching bar 'extendingthrough' said end and depending flange, andalliandlefon ithe other side of said end, attached to 'saidjpiv'ot for manipulating said latching bar.

*4. Inia -railway car having a drop end door provided. with a bulb angle top chord, the top edge of said door being attached to the web of said angle adjacent the bulb, the flange of said angle depending I in -a spaced parallel plane wvith the upper margin of said door, an --'adj.ustment bracket "attachable to a car side and adjustable in relationto said car side, a latching bar pivoted at 'one "end to one side of saidend betweenrsaid margin and said flange and swingable in axplane parallel l to said i end and designed to engage vathe ---outer endof :said bracket when ,said .end is in closed posit-ion, the pivot of :said latchingsbar extending *through said endsand .saidzfiange, land a handle, on the othersideof'saidvend,'attached to said pivot for manipulatingzsaid. latching tbar, said-handle .and latching :bar being zwithinithe bounding planes or" .said angle.

' 5.- In a railway car :having ia drop ,end :door :provided with La .fbulb .tangle 'top ch'ord; theitop edge ofsaid doorsbeing attached to :Itheiweb rof asaid aan'gle adjacent ithezbulb, sthe: flangerofssaid angle depending in aspaced parallel :plane :with

provided with a :bulbv angle ltoptchord,.iethe'itop edge of said ,door :being: attached to. the' web :of

7 :said angle adjacent the bulb; the flange :of..- said angle-depending iin a-"spaced parallel plane wvith the upper margin .of :tsaid doon an adjustment bracket attachable to "a car side and-:adjustable in relation to said car'side, the-inner upper surface of said bracket being upwardly and rearwardly inclined, 'an 'elongated latching =bar=-pivoted at one end-to said end between said margin and flange gate and swingable in a plane parallel=to said end-said latching bar also designe'd toengage said inclined surface when the-end is being closed and to slide upwardly thereon over said bracket to engage the outer end=of said-bracket-when the end. is closed.

7. In "a railway car having a 'drop end "door provided with'a -bulb angle top'chord, the top .edge of said door'being 'attachedto the'web of said angle adjacent the bulb, the flange, Of said angle depending in a'space'd parallelplane with the upper margin of said door, atwopart adjust- 'ment bracket, said parts attachable'to' a car side and adjustable in "relation 'to each other, an elongated latching bar pivotedat one end'to said end between said marginan'dflange and'swinga- "ble in a plane parallel .to "said end rand-designed to engage the outer end of said bracket when said end is in closed position and also designed to engage the outer end of said top chord to limit the movement of said bar in one direction, a stop lug projecting from said pivoted end and engageable with said angle to limit the movement of said latching bar in the other direction.

8. In a railway car having a drop end provided with an angle top chord; the combination with a side wall of the car, of a bracket adjustably attached to said side wall, a latching bar pivoted at one end to the interior of said end im mediately below said top chord and having its free end projecting beyond the side of said end so as to engage the outer end of the bracket when the end is in upright position, and a stop lug projecting upwardly from the pivoted end of the latching bar and engageable with the web of said top chord to limit the movement of the latching bar in one direction.

9. In a railway car having a drop end provided with an angle top chord; the combination with a side wall of the car, of a corner post secured to the side Wall and having a flange overlapping the door when in upright position, a bracket adjustably attached to said side wall adjacent the top of said corner post, a latching bar pivoted at one end to the interior of said end immediately below 6 said top chord and having its free end projecting beyond the side of said end so as to engage the outer end of the bracket when the end is in upright position, and a stop lug projecting upwardly from the pivoted end of the latching bar and engageable with the web of said top chord to limit the movement of the latching bar in one direction, the free end of said latching bar being engageable with the web of said top chord to limit movement of the latching bar in the other direction.

JAMES S. SWAN'N.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,012,256 Imig Dec. 19, 1911 1,069,878 Johnson Aug. 12, 1913 1,178,768 Wells Apr. 11, 1916 1,796,933 Kadel Mar. 17, 1931 1,853,248 Wine Apr. 12, 1932 1,913,986 Harward June 13, 1933 2,066,626 Isaacson et al. Jan. 5, 1937 2,091,721 Soderberg et al Aug. 31, 1937 

